This invention relates generally to a combination shovel and rake implement, and more particularly to improvements to a combination shovel and rake implement, including shovel locking means and a handle-mounted mechanism for controlling the position of the rake.
Lawn raking typically involves using a rake to gather leaves, grass cuttings or other material and debris into piles, then using a separate implement such as a shovel or pitchfork to load the piled debris onto a sheet or into a container for transport to the roadside.
This alternating use of rake and shovel requires the worker repeatedly to set one tool down and pick up the other. This is not only fatiguing, but for people with back trouble, it may be difficult and painful. Accordingly, the present invention is directed to further improvements in a shovel and rake combination, where the shovel may be locked in a raking or shoveling position, and where the angle of the rake may be controlled at an upper handle of the implement so as to enable a user to easily pick up debris on the shovel and hold that debris thereon with the rake head.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a shovel and lawn rake apparatus, including: a hollow tube with a D-shaped handle affixed to an upper end thereof and a rake head pivotally mounted to the lower end thereof, for movement between a rake position and a raised position; a rake control knob mounted adjacent the D-shaped handle, said knob being operatively connected to said rake head to move said rake head between said rake position and said raised position; a shovel including a shovel handle with a shovel head on the lower end thereof, said shovel handle pivotally connected to said tube for movement between a shovel position and a storage position, wherein the shovel handle is connected to the tube at a location spaced-apart from the rake head end: thereof and where the shovel handle traverses an obtuse angle as it is pivoted between the shovel position and the storage position; and locking means to secure said shovel handle to said tube alternatively in said shovel position and said storage position.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shovel and lawn rake apparatus, including: a hollow tube with a rake head pivotally mounted on the lower end thereof, on an axis perpendicular to said tube, for movement between a rake position and a raised position; a rake control means operatively connected to said rake head, whereby said control means is effective to move said rake head between said rake position and said raised position; a shovel including a shovel handle with a shovel head on the lower end thereof, said shovel handle pivotally connected to said tube for movement of said shovel head between a shovel position and a storage position wherein the shovel handle is connected to the rake handle at a location spaced-apart from the rake head end thereof and where the shovel handle traverses an obtuse angle as it is pivoted between the shovel position and the storage position; and lock/release means to secure said shovel handle to said tube alternatively in said shovel position and said storage position.
A combination lawn rake and shovel, according to this invention includes a rake handle with a rake head pivotally mounted on its lower end for movement between a rake position and a raised position. A control mechanism near the rake handle is operatively connected to the pivoting rake head via a linkage to move the rake head between its rake position and its raised position. Furthermore, the improved linkage mechanism provides for sufficient range of movement of the rake head so as to make it practical to use to grip debris loaded onto a shovel pivotally connected to the rake for movement between a shovel position and a storage position. Moreover, the shovel includes a locking mechanism to secure the shovel handle to the rake in both its shovel position and its storage position.
One aspect of the invention is based on the observation of problems with conventional rakes and shovels, and their use in the collection and removal of debris from a yardxe2x80x94particularly the need for at least two implements. This aspect is based on the discovery of a technique that alleviates these problems by combining the functionality of the rake and the shovel in a common implement. This technique can be implemented, for example, in accordance with aspects of the present invention, particularly including further improvements with respect to the functionality of the rake head and shovel.